2013 Eberswalde-Finow Zlin crash

2013 Eberswalde-Finow Zlin crash
OK-ZRB accident aircraft
Accident
Date 29 June 2013 (2013-06-29)
Summary Crashed due to Fuel starvation and pilot error
Site Near Eberswalde Finow Airfield, Germany
52°49′46″N 13°41′00″E / 52.829431°N 13.683274°E / 52.829431; 13.683274Coordinates: 52°49′46″N 13°41′00″E / 52.829431°N 13.683274°E / 52.829431; 13.683274
Aircraft
Aircraft type Zlin Aviation
Aircraft name Z 526 AFS-V
Registration OK-ZRB (not valid)
Flight origin Eberswalde Finow Airfield
ICAO EDAV
Crew 1
Fatalities 1
Survivors 0

The 2013 Eberswalde-Finow Zlin crash was an accident involving a Zlin Z 526 light aircraft. The accident, which happened 29 June 2013, occurred during an unauthorized aerobatics display near Eberswalde Finow Airfield,[1] Germany. The pilot was fatally injured in the accident.[2]

Accident

Approaching from an easterly direction for the inverted low pass
Engine losing power and pilot rolls to get right side up
Losing altitude fast and beginning to veer to the right

A festival, the Roadrunner's Paradise Race 61,[3] was taking place at the Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt[4] (Finowfurt Aviation Museum), which is located right next to Eberswalde Finow Airfield[5] [6] It is thought the accident pilot took it upon himself to embark on an aerobatics display in front of thousands of people gathered for the festival.[2] [7]

The aircraft took off from runway 10 at Eberswalde Finow Airfield shortly after 12:04. After takeoff, the pilot proceed to where the festival was taking place and then made several low passes from easterly and westerly directions. On the pass at which the accident happened, the aircraft was making an inverted pass from an easterly direction, at very low altitude, when suddenly, the engine lost power. The pilot immediately started rolling the aircraft right side up but the right wing tip tank collided with ground, which reversed the roll and the aircraft crashed upside down.[2] [8] There was no fire except from a brief flash of fire as the right wing tip tank was ruptured and the spray was ignited at initial impact.[9]

The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured in the crash. The aircraft, which was destroyed in the accident, crashed into the Solarpark Finow Tower destroying a number of solar panels. No one on the ground was injured in the accident.[2]

Aircraft

The Zlin 526 is a low wing single seat acrobatics aircraft powered by a 180 hp Avia M 137 6-cylinder in-line engine. The 1967 built accident aircraft, serial number 1119 was bought in the Czech Republic by the German accident pilot 29 March 2013.[8][2]

The fuel system of the Zlin, optimised for aerobatics, consist of 2 wing tanks gravity feeding a 5 l (1.3 US gal) collector tank in the fuselage. A fuel pump draws fuel from the collector tank and supplies fuel - via filters - for the fuel injection pump, which in turn delivers fuel via separate lines to each of the 6 cylinders. In inverted flight, the collector tank is not filled and a one-way check valve ensures fuel does not return to the wing tank. The accident aircraft was fitted with optional wing tip tanks.[2]

As of 24 November 2012 the aircraft had accumulated 3,284:19 operating hours and 18,243 flight cycles.[2]

Investigation

The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) investigated the accident. They found that the first landing at Eberswalde Finow Airfield was on 15 April 2013 and up to the day of the accident - although not properly recorded - several flights had taken place in Germany and into Poland from Eberswalde Finow Airfield.

The investigation revealed that at the day of the accident, the aircraft did not have a valid registration, as per the contract of purchase, the aircraft was supposed to be promptly deleted from the Czech register. Furthermore, the liability insurance policy had terminated on 1 May 2013.

According to BFU, the 47 year old accident pilot held a valid Private Pilot's License (PPL) and he held the rating as Pilot in Command (PIC) for Single Engine Piston land (SEP land). His license also had entries for aerobatics and night flight qualifications. The pilot had a valid class 2 medical certificate.

The pilot had accumulated 3,127:55 hours and 10,445 flight cycles as per last logbook entry 13 October 2012.[2]

The investigation further found that:

  • the aerobatics display was performed without permit from the responsible authority
  • exemption for aerobatics below 1500 feet (450 meters) had not been granted
  • the inverted low pass was conducted at a height of 20–50 meters (66–165 feet) and some 20 meters (66 feet) in front of the spectators
  • the right wing tank was undamaged and contained a low amount of fuel - left wing tank and both tip tanks were destroyed
  • the collector tank was undamaged and empty
  • only the fuel line of cylinder 1 contained small amount of fuel - the other 5 lines were dry
  • the aircraft was serviced with automotive fuel and not Avgas as required
  • the engine was deemed in good technical condition
  • aircraft was not certified for aerobatics as wing tip tanks were installed
  • the pilot did not wear a parachute - instead, the seat had been filled with foam
  • it was determined that control input by the pilot resulted in the aircraft veering off to the right in a nose-down attitude of 5-20 degrees during the unsuccessful recovery

Causes

BFU concluded that engine performance was impaired due to lack of fuel during inverted flight and errors in control inputs by the pilot during the roll back to normal flight attitude resulted in the collision with solar panels and subsequently the ground impact.

They further stated that the pilot's decision to conduct aerobatics in close proximity to the ground contributed to the accident.

References

  1. ↑ "Eberswalde Finow Airfield". Flugplatz Eberswalde Finow. Flugplatz Eberswalde Finow. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Investigation Report BFU CX008-13" (PDF). BFU. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-06-14. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  3. ↑ "Race 61". Race 61. Roadrunner’s Paradise. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  4. ↑ "Finowfurt Aviation Museum". Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt. Luftfahrtmuseum Finowfurt. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  5. ↑ "Pilot kommt bei Flugzeugabsturz ums Leben". Das Nachrichtenportal für Brandenburg. 29 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2018-06-16. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Google Maps (2018). "Map of accident area" (Map). "Map of accident area". Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "Tödliche Kunststücke Pilot kommt bei Absturz ums Leben". Berliner Zeitung. 29 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Accident Zlín 526AFS-V Akrobat Special OK-ZRB, 29 Jun 2013". Aviation safety Network. Archived from the original on 2018-06-14. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  9. ↑ "Unfall in Finow Race 61 Kunstflieger abgestürzt". Pierre Meliß, YouTube. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.